I didn't have a lot of money as a kid so I would take apart the models I had and redo them into something else. When I could finally afford it I would paint and glue them up and leave them. Took all the fun out of it. The last model kits I bought are still in the box, never to be assembled. That would take the fantasy clear out of the equation.
For you guys that have not built in a long time, there is a tremendous aftermarket for model car parts and service that will blow you away. Go to a hobby shop, but be prepared for sticker shock. Even better would be to find a swap meet or toy show. That's where you'll find the good stuff. Old original kits, recent reissues, new stuff, A to Z. Heaven.
Great post, fun thread. And I totally agree with all you guys: https://terrysgarage.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/starting-small/
There is a guy in our town who has a little shop in a strip mall and all he deals in is model car stuff. Ocasionally I'll buy a quart or gallon baggy of loose parts from old 1/25th model kits. Engines, wheels etc etc. It's a fun place to spend an afternoon.
I remember building model cars around that same age till 15 or16 , I had them all over the house , my dad comment was "This house looks like a car lot", I had a suite case full of left over parts ,most kits came with options on how you could build them unless it was a specialty vehicle like a Funny car or Dragster
When I was a kid, I told my Mom Dad, that all I wanted for Christmas is a model car. When I got married I told my wife, all I want for Christmas is a model car. When we had kids, and now grandkids, I told them the same thing. { Photo of me in in 1961.} I have the flat top. { notice my 61 Ford model on the floor. } Ron....
Spent many hours, especially in the long winter months in Upstate N. Y., in my parent’s basement creating versions of the hot rods that I saw in my little books. None of those early ones have survived, but I still have some later ones and every once in a while get inspired enough to stick together a new one. None of mine made it to the TV (Mom’s order), but were displayed in my room. The latest, finished one, a ‘63 Avanti with dual Paxton’s! Have a straight axle gasser version in the works, but moving has delayed that one.
Built many in my early teens. Would go to the VJ Elmore store, a small dollar store chain here in the south, they always had the best stuff. Started out with slammers, no opening hoods, engines, etc, and moved up to the MPC, Monogram, and Revell kits later on. Really liked the Revell kits, great details, opening doors, hoods, and trunk lids, steerable wheels. Left them at home when I got married and moved out, Mom gave most to one of my cousins. Later on, tried getting my boys interested, the oldest didn't care about them, the youngest and I built several together, I still have a bunch of them I plan on restoring and displaying again one of these days.
My dad, who was an airline pilot during the 1950's prop days, developed a hobby of building model airplanes and placing the completed jobs up on top of an overhang where the living room drapes were hanging. They were cool. On display and out of the way. When we moved in 1964 there was no overhang in the new house and the models all went into a box and later into the trash. I tried to get into model building and built some Navy ships but it wasn't really my calling. I was building an Apollo model at the moment of the first moon landing. My last attempt was an OT race car in 1980. It just wasn't enough to glue part-1 to part-2. It was necessary to press and mash parts together at a certain angle for a correct fit. Not what I signed up to do. Between the poor instructions and bad glue attempts I retired for model building. I'm happy for all the people who enjoy model building.
Ray Vodden, retired jalopy driver from Southern California, became an expert model builder. The quality of his work is outstanding!
I love models and the golden years box art. As a kid, I first started building in the late 60's with my Dad, then on my own through the 70's. Dropped it and picked it up a few times over the years, then did about a 5-7 prolific years in the early 2000's until the weight of responsibilities of building my own house and raising 4 kids depleted my free time. I have 100's of kits stashed away for retirement (4-5 years away). Will then dedicate one of the extra bedrooms to a hobby room! @Moriarity love your Ed Roth 55! I think I’ve only seen one or two pictures of it. I did a model of Roth’s 57 Chevy. Only picture I’ve ever seen of it is in Andy Southard’s Custom Cars of the 1950’s
Some of my best memories was building models cars with a friend down the street. Got my first model in of '64 I was 7 and a 1/2 as we liked to say back then. Ford just came out with the Mustang and if you went for a test drive you got a model car of a Mustang. I finally convinced my dad to take the test drive. I don't remember much of the test drive, just looking forward to getting that model. We get back and it seemed the salesman was never going to shut up, dad wasn't going to buy anything. Finally dad asked for the free Mustang model car. The salesman gets up and goes somewhere and comes back , "we're out of those here's a model T kit" I didn't care it was a model. Bought a lot of model cars till I was about 16 or 15 and a 1/2. We had a TG&Y, Jupiter, Mattingly's, Grant's, Gibson's, Katz and a Smitty's Hobby Shop. You could do comparison shopping and usually buy one for less than $2.00 with tax included. Folks moved when I was 20 and asked me if I wanted them, I said no, neighbor kids bought all of them at the moving sale. I was at Hobby Lobby one day and saw the model car aisle. Holy cow, I had no idea, even with a 40% off coupon that is still over $10 bucks.
I wish I had had the attention span for models when I was a kid. My first and last attempt was the notorious Revell Huey Hog. The orneriness and blood thirstiness of this model helicopter is now a minor internet meme but at the time I didn't know any better. After slicing myself up pretty good and bleeding on everything, then trying to clean the blood off the parts, then gluing my bandaged fingers to everything, breaking a few parts and then spilling a paint jar I think I was pretty well turned off from models for the entirety of my childhood. But this thread has me shopping around for a '30 Ford coupe model - it might be a fun way to mock up my build.
Hello, With two brothers competing for space to showcase our models, the TV top was first used, but then our parents built a study den in our tiny house. Now, those two brothers each had a desk and bookshelf above to showcase our model builds. It wasn’t just for displaying models, but actually to create a study room for the now Junior H.S. and High School students in the family. But, while our parents allowed us to display old hot rod models, we chose the ones that our dad would like, since he gave us some wax rods to create swoopy headers and custom dragster frames out of those wax rods. Those models were good for the winter months without house heating. When our mom turned on the heater, the TV room got hot and those wax rods for headers and frames, melted to a point where they looked awful. We put in sewing needles inside of the soft rods and that helped somewhat in those “heated” times. Otherwise, with silver paint on those rods after shaping them into some header creations, they stayed that way until the next heated episode came into play. After the study den was built, the TV top was for my mom’s flower arrangements and not for hot rod models. We had a room length shelving to display all of our models, before the books started arriving at record speed. The only problem was that on the TV, they got dusted daily. On the study den shelving, they gathered dust, because my brother and I did not dust as pre-teens and teenagers. Plus, we had plenty of different models on the whole shelf and top of the bookcase. Eventually, our mom did her standard two month sweep of our room, desks and bookshelves. What was dirty got a dust off and obviously broke some parts. But, we then knew the dusting was coming and hid our models. Pretty soon, the books took over and the models started to slow down in builds. This was taken much later. It was after the models got swept away in a “MOM” clean out day, as we both were in high school. (they were all given to a relative with 5 kids, including partially made models and some new kits. So, they found a good home to continue their history) 1958 Impala coupe kit purchased back in a toy store in Long Beach’s Belmont Shore to create a copy of my own 58 black Impala. The paint, wheels and handmade stickers were getting made. But, in gathering the parts necessary, the project was put on hold back then and work had to be done on a real life 1940 327 powered Ford Sedan Delivery. Then the 1941 KS Pittman Willys Coupe that was getting a remodel front end to show the split grille of our 1940 Willys Coupe was in the next series to be built. Many years later, I got the wild idea that a copy of our “finished” record setting 1940 671 SBC Willys Coupe was going to get made, including changing over the staid, single grille of the 41 and modifying it to the twin grille that was on our 1940 version. The plans were made and drawings, tools and products were ready, but family life with the granddaughter took precedence. Jnaki Then the attention turned to 1/64 versions of cars that played a big part of our family history. They had hopes of being finished for a giant surprise Christmas present. Still might get finished, but the pandemic put a downer on everything. The last time I built something for my granddaughter, she kept it front and center. The mini Christmas tree still lights up and stands out proudly on her TV/stereo shelf.
When I had my Shop in Tuscon, AZ. I also had a Truck rental Service They would bring the Trucks into my Shop & I would give them their Dep. Back., I had a Model car sitting on my Radio ( metal ) & the Guy asked if I wanted to sell it I said no . we talked for awhile & He afford me $150. for it & I said why so much He said the Company did not make them anymore. I still have the Model in my Man cave Just my 3.5 cents Live Learn & Die a Fool
I did build a few models, but I didn’t get an allowance, and funds were hard to come by. My grandmother sent legos from Europe, long before they were available here. My brother and I would build something, tear it apart and build something else the next day, which was way more cost effective. Bought my first old vehicle when I was 13, no time for models after that.
A vintage wire clothing hanger from the dry cleaners turns out to be the perfect scale and aspect ratio to be a roll cage in a vintage model street car converted to a race car.
The Jalopy Journal
